The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1887-08-18
RELEASED BY A,MOB.;
The Friends Of Virginia's ScalawaS
Senator Come to his Rescue.

WINCHESTER, VA, August IA
message from Woodstock, Va, says:
United States Senator Riddleberger who
was yesterday sentenced by Judge New
man, of the county court, to pay q fine
Of twenty-five dollars and be imprisoned
for five days for contempt of court, was
released from Jail last night by a mob.
The iailer made but slight resistance.
The circumstances leading up to the
arrest of Riddleberger are related as
follows by an eyewitness:
On Thursday W. w. Jones was tried
for larceny and the jury found that he
was insane. Jones was client of Rid
dleberger'S, and the verdict made the
Senator angry. He was accused OF
writing placard and giving boy two
dollars to haul Jones up and down the
town, displaying piacard meanwhile
which the latter had written on it.
''Verdict, Bill Jones not guilty, but in
sane, jury insane, lawyers insane; court
insane, III the main.',, The noise occa-
stoned by this display disturbed the pro-
ceedings OF the court, and the Common
wealth's attorney, J. G. Baker, had the
Judge issue an order for the arrest OF
Riddleberger, to appear before Judge
Newman and show cause why he (Rid-
dleberger) should not be fined and i'm
prisoned for ridiculing the Judge and
jury and disturbing the court.
At 5 o'clock Riddleberger appeared
before the court and defended himself.
He said that Judge Newman had no jl-
risdiction in the case, which the Judge
denied. and asked Senator Riddleberger
to sit down until the evidence could be
taken to prove that he (the senator) was
the one who instlgated the ridicule and
then, he said, the court would hear ar
gument. Riddleberger would not sit
down, and the Court fined him s25. He
then defied the court, and said: ''This
court shall not send nee to Jail. Judge
Newman then told the sheriff to take
the Senator to Jail for five days. Sena-
tor Riddleberger said he would like to
see the mau who could take him to Jail,
and sheriff Whitman at once arrested
the Senator and locked him up. This
action caused much excitement, and this
morning at 2 O'Clock a mob Of one hun
dred men, supposed to have been from
Edinburg, in this county, scaled the
walls of the jail yard and took the Sena-
tor out on ladders. Riddleberger is on
the streets at this writing.
WINcHEsTER, VA, August 15.-The
excitement over the imprisonment and
subsequent release of Senator Riddleber-
ger has subsided.' The court adjourned
on Friday until to-day. Senator Riddle
berger returned to Jail this morning.
All is quiet, and the court has taken no
further action in the case.
WINCHESTER, VA, August l5.-Eve-
Observation-Disclosures remains quietly in
Jail. A motion was made in court today
to release him, which motion Judge
Newman denied. All is quiet.
THE SENATOR DRUNK.
BALTIMORE, August 16.-A dispatch
to the Sun from Woodstock, Va, says:
Senator Riddleberger, after delivering
himself up yesterday, sat all day.on the
portico in front of the Jail, where he
held levee with his friends as he did
to-day. At noon to-day he walked off,
but was arrested on the streets and
brought back. At o'clock this evening
he 'ied off again. The iailer, Harry
Shuts, made a grab at him, but the
Senator walked off up the street without
molestation. Judge Newman was in
formed this afternoon that the Senator's
condition was such as to render contine-
ment dangerous. He thereupon ap-
pointed three physicians as commission
to ascertain and certify to the facts.
Their reports confirmed the information
already received, and Judge Newman
issued an order to Jailer Shull suspend
ing the sentence OF ten days for con-
tempt of court until such time as Riddle
berger may be in fit condition to be re-
turned to Jail. The friends of the Sen
ator say he is not in a condition to know
what he is doing.